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MHG63487 - Hut circle - Coire Nan Athan ('B')

Summary

A hut circle at Coire Nan Athan.

Type and Period (1)

Protected Status

Full Description

A hut circle at Coire Nan Athan, originally recorded by the OS as hut circle 'B'. For 'A' and 'C' see MHG2762 and MHG63488.

Centred at NH 399 322 are three stone-walled huts (A to C) and a contemporary field system. The hut measurements are given between wall centres.
Hut 'A' is circular measuring about 10.5m in diameter. The wall in the NE arc is spread to about 2.5m, elsewhere it is scarcely visible. The 'simple' entrance, in the ESE, is flanked by two earth-fast stones 1.5m apart.
'B' is circular measuring about 13.0m in diameter with the wall spread to about 4.0m all round. The 'simple' entrance is in the ESE.
'C' is oval measuring about 12.5m from the W through the ill-defined entrance in the E, by about 10.5m transversely, with the wall spread to about 3.0m all round.
The field system consists mainly of stone clearance heaps with occasional lynchets. The cultivation plots are indistinct,but two that could be measured were about 30m by 20m.
Field system delineated on 6" sheet
Huts surveyed at 1/10 000.
Visited by OS (I S S) 20 March 1973

Hut 'a' NH 3985 3222. Hut 'b' NH 3981 3217. Hut 'c' NH 3977 3213
RCHAMS: 11.8.1986

There are five hut-circles and some small cairns on a heather-covered ridge to the N of a large conifer plantation. Three of the hut-circles (A to C in the OS record) are aligned in a row from NE to SW, the fourth lies at the edge of a terrace about 200m to the NE, and a fifth stands at the W end of a terrace on the E of the Allt Drimneach. The hut-circles range in diameter from 8.7m to 10.1m within stony banks from 1.2m to 4.5m in thickness and 0.1m to 0.8m in height. The ten small cairns lie on the higher part of the ridge at c.NH 3988 3243 to the W of the northmost hut-circle and another five to the E of it; one short length of bank was observed amongst the westerly group.
(URQ97 491-94, 496)
Visited by RCAHMS (PJD) 23rd October 1997

The site is visible on vertical aeral photographs taken in 2017. <1>

For the two additional hut circles recorded by RCAHMS in 1997 during a pre-afforestation survey to the northeast of the original three see MHG63489 and MHG63490.

Sources/Archives (1)

Map

Location

Grid reference	Centred NH 3982 3218 (28m by 28m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	NH33SE
Civil Parish	KILTARLITY AND CONVINTH
Geographical Area	INVERNESS

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